Page 130 of Don't Leave Me

I wanted to cry. He was so sweet and kind and really, all he wanted was to be in my presence. What was so special about me? Why did I have this effect on him?

“Yes, I’m sure,” I nodded, trying to comforthim. “I’m just gonna go to the bathroom real quick,” I nodded and quickly went into the restroom that was located directly behind our table.

I stood in the empty bathroom, “Karma Police” by Radiohead playing faintly through speakers - how fitting.What am I doing? Maybe something is wrong with me. Maybe I’m going fully crazy now. I stared at myself in the mirror, my face pale and my matte red lipstick still perfectly applied.Just get through this lunch and go home and spill it all to Michael. You will be fine.I took a few deep breaths and finally went back out into the cafe, finding Jack sitting there patiently with both of our smoothies now on the table. I smiled at him as I sat down.

“Feeling better?” he asked curiously as he eyed me – he could sense there was something wrong too.

I nodded and smiled. “Yes. Thank you for this,” I took the smoothie in my hand and raised it slightly, then took a sip of the fruit and veggie mix, the pineapple the main flavor. “Mmm, good,” I observed, taking another sip.

Jack watched me carefully, sipping his smoothie as well.

I need to leave soon. I need to get out of here.My stomach suddenly felt queasy all over again. I felt my eyelids getting heavier.

“Are you alright?” I heard Jack ask.

“Yeah, I’m just…” I trailed off, looking up at Jack’s widened eyes, his eyebrows raised.

Then everything went black.

II

Part Two

30

Chapter 30

I woke up in a daze, my head throbbing and my mouth dry. My eyes were heavy, and I felt like I had just woken up from a blackout-drunk drinking binge, but the last thing that I remembered was resting my head on Jack’s shoulder –we were sitting, were we in a cab?It felt like we were moving. I snapped back to the present, slowly blinking my eyes open, the light faint wherever I was. I was sitting up, although slouched, and my hands were behind me and sore -I can’t move. I can’t move my hands. I shot up in a panic, my eyes adjusting to light, and I still couldn’t move. My hands were stuck to wherever I was…I am tied up. My hands were tied behind my back and attached to something hard. A metal bed post? I finally, with horror, realized where I was: I was in Jack’s loft.

“Jack!” I screeched out, my panic in full force.

“Hana, darling. I’m right here,” he shot up from the couch that was partially obstructed by his bookshelf to my left.

He appeared in front of me, his hair every which way and his eyes tired, but he looked so sweet as he worriedly came to my side, sitting beside me on the bed.

“What…what’s going?” I asked, my heart racing.

My brain knew what was going on: Jack had tied me up and I was being held there against my will. Jack had kidnapped me. But my heart was too blind to accept that as the truth. This just couldn’t be happening.

“Hana, it’s alright. Calm down. I will tell you what’s going on if you just take a few slow, deep breaths,” he said soothingly, and I almost believed that I had completely misunderstood the situation.

I nodded while I watched him taking slow, deep breaths, and I started to mimic him.

My heart felt like it had slowed down just slightly. “Why am I tied up, Jack?”

“Hana, I realized there was no other way to do this. You were getting married to someone entirely wrong for you. And when I finally got to the chance to talk to you the other day, I knew that you had to be mine again. And I knew that I was going to do whatever it took for that to happen,” he explained slowly, his eyes widened.

My heart dropped and tears formed in my eyes.

“What are you gonna do to me?” I cried, my whole body feeling the surge of adrenaline - the one where it tells you to get out of this bad situation, right fucking now.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Hana,” he shook his head at me, almost like he was disgusted with what I just said. “I’m going to take care of you. But I don’t trust that you won’t try to leave me just yet. I don’t trust that you’ll make the right decisions unless I give you some incentives,” he raised his eyebrows, observing my face.

I suddenly felt dread. “Incentives like what, Jack?” I whispered, tears still streaming down my face.

He bit his lip almost nervously, and for one split second I could see the Jack that I knew: so sweet, his full, pouty lips longing for me. But his eyes suddenly darkened and narrowed as he looked up at me through his lashes.

“You’re going to do everything I say, exactly as I say, or I’m going to kill Michael…Emily… your mum, your dad. Everyone you care about,” he growled, his voice low and deep.

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